Rei Rakuyo
Rei Rakuyo is the current Lieutenant of the 8th Division under Captain Lisa Yadomura and former 5th seat under Shunsui K before he was appointed Head Captain. Appearance Rei has the appearace of a young girl with short, choppy Olive colored hair usually tucked behind her ears and emerald eyes. She has an average body with an average bust which leads many to describe her normal, but a little cute. The most notable part about her is her height as she is shorter than Captain Hitsugaya. She wears the standard Soul Reaper uniform with her Zanpakuto across her back and over her right shoulder held by a pink sash. The only deviaiton to her uniform is the bandages on both her hands that cover the tips of her fingers to just below her elbows. Personality Rei is a rather quiet girl, known for her dutiful, responsible, and respectable behavior. She got along well the former Lieutenant and Captain and helped regularly with paperwork. Though when only the 5th seat, it was an unspoken rule that she was in charge is the Captain and Lieutenant were gone. Rei is easy going, but isn’t afraid to let her temper loose. Head Captain Shunsui describes her as “small, but fierce”. She is known for giving Shunsui lectures and was part of the “Hard Trifecta” along with Lisa and Nanao. She is a stickler for those that refuse to get stronger as she believes that anyone can grow. Rei seems to be immune to Lisa’s perverted tendencies and tends to intercept her when she is about to act out of line or say something weird. Though, she has shown to lose her patience after finding dirty magazines belonging to the captain all over her office. She and Captain Lisa has a strong relationship being able to read each other’s movements and actions in battle as well as trust the other explicitly. Their unison in battle has been noted as the best among the 13 squad captains and lieutenants. This is due largely to their calculating minds. Within Division 8, Rei has the reputation of being the tactician. She is proud of her accomplishments of rising Squad 8 to the top contenders in the Gotei 13. Her intelligence rivals the best and most experienced in the Goeti 13. The former captain head-hunted her after seeing her potential noting that she reminded him of Captain Hitsugaya. Due to this, Rei places high expectations on herself. Her inability to control her Bankai and the struggle she initially experienced with her Shikai led her to push herself even more. She takes training very seriously believing that anyone can become stronger if they wish to. Her seriousness toward training caused her to appear unapproachable to those outside of Squad 8. History Born the illegitimate daughter to Lord of the Hikari (光) clan, Rei lived with her mother just outside of Shiraji, the village of falling snow. Due to her father’s betrothal, Rei only saw him for a few days each year. Her father trained her in sword fighting when he was able to visit. Her mother died suddenly and she lived with her father and his family for the short while before his death. Rei was told by her father to be a good older sister and to watch over her brother, Akarui. With no one to stop her, Rei’s stepmother, who held an extreme hatred for Rei and her mother, had her abandoned in a field with nothing but the clothes she wore. It took her three days of walking to find her way home. Rei spent the next few years alone with only her weekly trip to the village to bat away at her loneliness. It was only after she broke down trying to find a way to watch over her brother while they were separated that she decided to take back up sword fighting and entered the Soul Reaper Academy. Rei claims that she became a Soul Reaper to protect those who can’t protect themselves, but it is really because she didn’t want to be alone anymore. While a student, Rei excelled in all her classes earning a reputation that resembles Captain Hitsugaya’s. Her abilities and quick mind caught the attention of Captain Shunsui of Squad 8 where he recruited her quickly placing her in the 5th seat after several months in the World of the Living hunting Hallows. Shunsui would personally teach her Shunpo until she reached Master level and oversaw her kido training until she reached Expert level. Upon joining Squad 8, Rei spent months at a time in the World of the Living exterminating Hollows. Captain Shunsui wanted to give her plenty of battle experience to further her skills and control over her Zanpakuto. She quickly rose the ranks to 5th seat after controlling her Shikai and waited before starting Bankai training. Rei started her Bankai training when Lisa was appointed Captain of Squad 8. Plot Powers & Abilities Master Swordsman: '''Rei is a master swordsman and trained under Shunsui once she joined the 13 Guard Squads. She is capable of taking down multiple hollows without releasing her Shikai. '''Kido Expert Shunpo Master: Having trained under Shunsui, Rei is a master at Shunpo. She is capable of flash stepping for over an hour at high speeds before experiencing any signs of fatigue. Rei can also utilize Senka and Utsusemi. Hakudo Expert: While mastering control over Okaze, Rei focused on training in other areas. She utilizes her size and natural speed to overcome her opponents and avoids direct hits. Immense Spiritual Power: Rei spiritual power has the same effect as his Zanpakutō, as it is an elemental representative of wind. Her Spiritual Pressure is said to be very large and "shifting". She is able to hide his presence well; on several occasions she manages to surprise Shuhie and Nanao with her sudden appearances, which leads them to complain about her "sneaking up" on them. Her Reiatsu is orange. Enhanced Endurance: 'Rei has shown to keep up with captains when sparring against Captain Yadomura, Hitsugaya, and Kensei. Zanpakuto Ōkaze (大風, Great Wind) When sealed, Okaze looks like a ''katana with the exception of the guard, which is in the shape of a silver spiral. Its hilt is orange, and sheath burnt orange. The sheath completely dissolves when Okaze is drawn. The sword is somewhat longer than most Zanpakutō, at about 1.4 meters long. This makes it taller than Rei, preventing her from wearing it at the hip. Because of this, she instead carries it on her back by her pink sash over her right shoulder. Okaze is the strongest of all wind-element Zanpakutō in Soul Society and has the ability to create gusts, change the wind currents, and even stop the wind. It is said that Okaze can “fan fire, move oceans, and split mountains”. Rei has struggled mastering control of Okaze's Bankai and understands that she needs to be stronger to fully control it. The difference between Shikai and Bankai is the destructive force as many of her shikai moves can be used in Bankai form but are much stronger. Rei compares the two by stating that Shikai is for precision and Bankai is for total destruction. * '''Shikai: Okaze's release command is "Whisper through the Valley". In its Shikai, wind wraps around the blade and leaves black, intricate spirals on it. ** Shikai Special Ability: Okaze allows Rei to control the wind and air. Her slashes create an immense amount of spiritual power which overflows from the tip of the blade, creating a slash of wind that can easily cut through armor. With simple gestures, Rei can control the wind currents. The power it expels is so overwhelming that in Soul Society, its mere release affects the weather within the immediate vicinity, creating a cyclone of clouds overhead. *** Kokyū dorobō (呼吸泥棒, Breath Thief) is one of the basic techniques of Okaze. It allows Rei to pull oxygen from the air. Do to the devestation and risk of suffocating everyone nearby, Rei only performs Kokyū dorobō in Shikai. She does this nonverbally by curling her index and middle finger back toward in a rapid motion. Captain Shusui notes that it is unnoticable most of the time. When performed in Bankai, Kokyū dorobō summons a rapid vortex around Rei's target pulling the oxygen away form inside and the area outside. ** Baidoku (梅毒, Zephyr Scythe) appears to be a standard swing of the blade, but has a finer percision and cutting power. The slice of wind that is created is invisible to the naked eye and it's path can only be detected by the path of damage left behind. ** Bofuu (暴風雨, Gale Storm) is an attack that is generated by pushing large amounts of spirital energy out from the tip of the blade. A twister appears and blows outward in the directed that Okaze is pointed. * Bankai: Subete Okaze (すべて大風, All Encompassing Great Wind): When activated, wind quickly surrounds Rei’s body in a sphere of wind that momentarily acts at a shield and can rip anything that enters to shreds. Rei’s appearance is altered when the winds dissipate. Her hair turns light grey and her eyes are golden. The spirals on Okaze are transferred to Rei covering her hands to her elbows. The design on the blade fades significantly. These are normally unnoticeable due to the wraps Rei wears around her hands and lower arms. ** Bankai Special Ability: Much like her Shikai, Rei can control the wind, though the strength is much higher. Okaze's Bankai lets Rei access several additional techniques due to the amount of power she has. ** Air Body: ** Idaina fukurouharikēn (偉大なフクロウハリケーン, Great Owl Hurricane) Spirit Form Weakness Zanpakutō Control: Due to the nature of wind, Rei must have complete emotional control and focus in order to execute Shikai and Bankai. If she loses focus or allows her emotions to stray, the wind can potentially injure those around her and herself. Relationships Lady Rakuyo Rei and her mother had a loving relationship as they spent most of their time together. Lady Rakuyo initially feared that Rei would be targeted for being an illegitimate heir, but tried not to think about it when she saw Rei and her father together. Lord Hikari Since Rei was illigetimate, and he was bethrothed to another noble, Lord Hikari was only able to see Rei and her mother a few days of the year. It was Lord Hikari that introduced Rei to sword fighting even though her mother was against it. Rei inherited her hair and eyes from him. Lisa Yadomura Shunsui Nanoa Toshiro Hitsugaya Rangiku Momo Akarui Hikari Trivia * Her name means Honor and Falling Leaves. * Rei's theme song is ? by ?. * Her favorite food is Yakitori and is known for her weakness to lime-flavored shaved ice. She dislikes diakon. Quotes * (Shunsui about Rei) "While she didn't have the natural talent like Captain Hitsugaya, she had the natural potential. Her ability to lead, outsmart, and overcome others led to her graduating from the Academy in two years. That's why I grabbed her before anyone else could, I saw the potential and I wanted to see it grow." * (To the boys) "You there is an old saying that a man should know how to put on a kimono so that he knows how to properly take one off." * (To herself) "I have to get stronger. If I want to use Okaze to her fullest potential, I must get stronger." * (To Momo) "You are the only thing stopping yourself from getting stronger."